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Introduction to APEX

The APEX programme is a postdoctoral fellowship Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) COFUND programme based at APC Microbiome Ireland at University College Cork (UCC). The programme is cofunded by Horizon 2020 and offers 20 prestigious two-year postdoctoral fellowships for incoming mobility across two calls over the 60 months duration of the programme.

Overview of APEX

APEX is designed to develop the next generation of scientific leaders who will gain hands-on experience developing cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills through individual research projects. The programme focuses on the research strengths and expertise of the Institute in the area of gut microbiota and their role in human health and disease.

Fellowship Details

• The APEX Fellowships are open to experienced researchers of any nationality, resident anywhere in the world, provided the mobility eligibility criteria are met.
• All fellows will be hosted in an APC academic host organisation (University College Cork or Teagasc Moorepark) and will be required to complete a mandatory secondment in a relevant industry host.
• The aim of APEX is to develop the next generation of scientific leaders who will gain hands-on experience developing cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills through individual research projects.
• Applicants choose their research area (within the remit of APC), APEX supervisor, and secondment organisation in the non-academic sector.

Duration of the Fellowship

• The total duration of each fellowship is two years, commencing October 2018 (Call 1) and October 2019 (Call 2).

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants may be of any nationality.
• Applicants must be fluent in English (written and spoken).
• Applicants must be Experienced Researchers:
  • An experienced researcher must, at the application deadline, be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience in academia or industry.
• Mobility Requirements:
  • Applicants must be incoming fellows to Ireland and fulfill the mobility requirements:
    • Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, study) in the Republic of Ireland for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the Call deadline.
    • For Career Restart and Reintegration: Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity in the Republic of Ireland for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately prior to the call deadline.

Project Eligibility

• Proposals must describe a research project to be implemented during a 2-year period.
• Adhere to the ethical standards as stated in the programme documentation.
• Include a secondment in the non-academic sector.
• The topic must fall within the broad APC research themes.

Industry Secondment

• Secondments must be 3 to 6 months in duration and can be a single period or split into short stays.
• Eligible secondment hosts are research-performing non-academic organisations located anywhere in the world.
• The proposed academic supervisor will assist applicants to secure a high-quality secondment host.
• Secondments must be relevant to the fellow's research project and their career development.
• A mandatory letter of commitment from the secondment host and capacity of secondment organisation table must be obtained within 6 months of starting their fellowship.

Application Process

• The application process starts with the publication of the call for proposals.
• Applicants are encouraged to start the process of preparing their application as early as possible.
• Step 1: Read the APEX Application Guidelines carefully.
• Step 2: Check eligibility.
• Step 3: Expression of Interest - Complete the APEx Expression of Interest Form and send to the APEX Programme Manager.
• Step 4: Identify a potential host supervisor from the academic supervisors listed on the website.
• Step 4: Prepare the research project proposal - Ensure that the proposal complies with the necessary requirements. Use the Application Templates provided in the APEX Application Guidelines.
• Step 5: Submit the application - Submit all required documentation by email to the APEX email address before the call deadline.

Application Templates

• The Application Templates consist of:
  • Part A: General Information, Abstract, Evidence of eligibility, Ethics issues table.
  • Part B: Project proposal (maximum 10 pages).
  • Part C: Applicant's Curriculum Vitae (maximum 5 pages).
  • Part D: Ethics Self-Assessment.
• Proposals must respect the following minimum standards:
  • A minimum font size of 11 points, except for the Gantt chart and tables where the minimum font size is 8 points.
  • Single line spacing.
  • A4 page size.
  • Margins (top, bottom, left, right) of at least 15 mm (not including any footers or headers).
  • A clearly readable font (e.g., Arial or Times New Roman).
  • Literature references should be placed as footnotes at the bottom of the page in which they are mentioned, in font 8 or 9.

2019 Call Important Dates

• Call 2 Announcement: 22 Jan 2019.
• Deadline for Proposal Submission: 23 April 2019.
• Call Outcome: Aug 2019.
• Fellowship Start Date: Oct 2019.

Themes and Supervisors

• Fellowships will be offered in the four core APC research areas:
  • Microbes to Molecules.
  • Diet and Microbes at the Extremes of Life.
  • Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis.
  • Host-Microbe Dialogue.
• Prior to creating an application, please contact an APEX supervisor to discuss your proposal and to gain support for your application.

Fellows

• 20 APEX Fellows (10 female and 10 male) were recruited over the two calls.
• Fellows joined the programme from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Iran, Germany, Britain, and India.

Contact Us

• Programme Manager: Ms. Oonagh Cahalane, APC Microbiome Ireland, Rm 5.04, Biosciences Building, University College Cork, Ireland.
• APEX Programme Management Office: +353 (0).
• Email: [insert email].

News & Events

• Various news and events related to APEX, including publications, presentations, and participation in scientific events.